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Lee A. DeHihns, III

Partner


Lee DeHihns is a member of the firm’s Environmental & Land Development Group. He is also an affiliate member of the firm’s Energy Infrastructure, Climate & Technology Group. He has practiced environmental law since 1974. He concentrates on regulatory matters and defensive litigation matters, including climate matters, corporate audits, compliance program development, debarment, white-collar criminal defense, air quality, hazardous waste, wetlands, and water quantity and quality matters for industrial and municipal clients. Lee works on many complex and high profile matters.

He was chair of the American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy and Resources (SEER) 2007-2008 and is a SEER Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates 2009-2012.  Mr. DeHihns was ranked as a leading environmental lawyer in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2006-2009). He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers magazine. He is an author on the topics of water quality and quantity, corporate environmental responsibility, citizen suits, sustainable development, and climate change.

Representative Experience

  • Counsel for Decatur Utilities, Alabama and Dalton Utilities, Georgia in managing under USEPA oversight the issues associated with biosolids contaminated with PFOA and PFOS, which are found in the blood stream of most of the U.S. population. The chemicals are used in over 1000 consumer products, such as microwave popcorn bags and stain resistant carpet and fabric.
  • Counsel for Gwinnett County, Georgia, in litigation challenging the County’s NPDES permit to discharge highly treated effluent into Lake Lanier. This case is the highest profile wastewater litigation in Georgia.
  • Counsel to municipalities and companies in defending governmental enforcement actions and defending challenges to clients’ permits and business activities pursued by citizens and environmental groups.
  • Counsel to a Fortune 100 forest products company in gaining approval from USEPA for a Project XL proposal to develop a regulatory structure that facilitated flexible manufacturing operations and achieves superior environmental performance at a substantial cost savings to the company.


Lee A. DeHihns, III

One Atlantic Center
1201 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309-3424
Phone: 404-881-7151
Fax: 404-253-8569

Education

  • The Catholic University of America
    (J.D., 1974)
  • University of Scranton
    (B.S., 1967)

Admitted to Practice

  • Georgia
  • District of Columbia